Collins wants attack ad pulled as Ocasio-Cortez rallies for Jackson in Maine
Maine Senator Susan Collins said a radio ad that calls her rival Troy Jackson a "creep" should be taken down, AP reported. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez then held a rally with Jackson, The Washington Times reported. She called Collins part of the "ruling class."
Maine Sen. Susan Collins says a radio ad attacking her Democratic rival, Troy Jackson, should be taken off the air, according to AP. A day later, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez campaigned with Jackson in Maine, The Washington Times reported.
The ad is from the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with Senate Republicans, AP reported. It plays on Maine radio as a country song. It calls Jackson a "freak" and a "creep" because "he has two kids with his cousin," AP said.
Collins said Wednesday in Lewiston that she "had nothing to do with that ad," AP reported. She said federal law bars her from working with the super PAC. She has called for the ad to be removed.
But in September, Collins herself brought up Jackson's relationship with his second cousin in a Politico story, AP reported. Jackson and his partner, Lana Pelletier, have two sons together.
Pelletier criticized the ad in an op-ed published Wednesday, AP reported. "I am not a punchline or a caricature of where I come from," she wrote. Jackson's deputy campaign manager, Dan Gottlieb, said Collins owes the family an apology, AP said.
On Thursday, Ocasio-Cortez held a town hall with Jackson in Portland, The Washington Times reported. The New York lawmaker said Collins is part of the "ruling class." She said Collins fears having a "waitress in the House" and a logger in the Senate, the paper reported. Jackson is a former state lawmaker and lumberjack, AP said.
Jackson called for less spending on foreign wars and backed Medicare for All, The Washington Times reported. He also vowed to raise taxes on billionaires.
The state's Republican Party chair, Jim Deyermond, called Ocasio-Cortez and Jackson "extreme politicians," the paper said.
Democrats need to gain four seats to win control of the Senate, The Washington Times reported. Polls show a close race in Maine. But Collins has beaten poor polls before, the paper said.
Collins said the race "is unique in Maine history in the number of personal attacks," AP reported.
What we know: Collins has asked for the super PAC ad to be pulled.
What we don't: Whether the group will take the ad off the air.
Where outlets agree AP reports that Collins said the super PAC ad attacking Jackson should be removed, and The Washington Times reports that Ocasio-Cortez rallied with Jackson in Portland on Thursday.
Where they differ The cited reports agree on the key facts so far.